Chapter 51 "Mr. Charrington, the internetâs buzzing about you. Everyoneâs singing your praises now. These netizens are so quick to flip sides," Nathan remarked as he scrolled through the trending news online.
"Reacquire the shares from those minor shareholders," David ordered. Those shareholders had been around since his grandfatherâs time. If they could just behave, he wouldnât have had a problem letting it slide. But patience had its limits.
"Alright."
Meanwhile, Geoffrey stormed back to his office and, in a fit of anger, swept the documents off his desk.
"Damn it," he growled.
"Mr. Charrington, this didnât affect him much, but weâll find another way," Johan spoke with trepidation, standing stiffly near the door. "Thatâs easier said than done," Geoffrey snarled.
Just then, a group of shareholders from the earlier meeting barged in after a quick knock on the door. "Mr. Charrington, we offended your son earlier...
He wouldnât come after us, would he?"
Their fear was evident. If it werenât for the lucrative promises made by Geoffrey, they would never have provoked David.
"He wouldnât dare," Geoffrey hissed. Seeing how terrified the shareholders were of David only fueled his anger.
Johan stepped forward to mediate. "Youâve all been with the company since Logan was in charge. On that account, he wonât act rashly. Rest assured, everything will be fine."
Heaving sighs of relief, the shareholders quickly left the office.
"Mr. Charrington, should we bring Sebastian back from the overseas project?" Johan asked tentatively. He reasoned that advancing Sebastian to a position of power would serve him well.
Geoffrey narrowed his eyes, pondering the suggestion. Six months ago, David had transferred Sebastian abroad. Without Loganâs approval, it would be difficult to recall him. Though it wouldnât be easy to deal with David even with Sebastian around, he could prove invaluable in obstructing Davidâs plans.
Narrowing his eyes, Geoffrey said, "Iâll speak to my father about this."
The next day, while Danielle was on her way to visit the rescued patients with Elliot, her phone rang. The screen lit up, showing an incoming call from David.
"What are you up to?" Davidâs voice came through the line.
"Heading to the base with my brother to check on the patients," Danielle replied.
"Shall we have lunch together?" David had been missing her, wondering if his phone was malfunctioning when he didnât receive any messages from her.
"I might be tied up this afternoon. How about dinner instead?" Danielle suggested.
"Alright, Iâll pick you up later," David replied, the thought of dinner already lifting his spirits.
Danielle hung up and tucked her phone away as they neared the military base.
"Danielle, the Darling family will always have your back. If David ever treats you poorly, donât you dare put up with it," Elliot said seriously.
At the border, he had witnessed how David had stood by Danielle, but if David were to let her down, the Darling family would stop at nothing to protect her.
Danielle smiled warmly. "Donât worry, Elliot. I wonât let myself suffer." When they arrived at the base, they bypassed the usual checks since Elliot had brought her in. They parked inside, where Danielle was greeted by a group of soldiers waiting for them.
Maximus stepped forward and opened the car door for Danielle. "Glad youâre here, Danielle," he said cheerfully.
"The patients we rescued-none of them remember anything. Itâs like theyâve lost their memories entirely." Justin filled her in on the condition of the patients.
"Elliot mentioned it," Danielle replied softly. "Thatâs why Iâm here today."
"Let me take you to them," Luke said.
âAm I invisible now?â Elliot thought as he found himself relegated to the sidelines as the guys showered Danielle with attention. Ever since their return from the border, these men had become her unabashed admirers.
The group entered the medical wing, where Lydia, the military doctor, was attending to the patients.
"Youâre here, Danielle," Lydia said. They had tried everything, but the symptoms were puzzling. Since regaining consciousness, they seemed lost in a daze, clutching their heads in pain at intervals.
Nevertheless, all the tests had come back normal.
"Lydia, have you done any diagnostic tests on the patients?" Danielle asked.
"Weâve gone through every possible test, but nothing conclusive has shown up. They get splitting headaches from time to time," Lydia replied.
Danielle nodded and began examining each patient.
"How are they?" Elliot asked.
"The virus in their systems has been eradicated, but I suspect theyâve been hypnotized," Danielle explained. "The hypnotist must have rushed the process, leading to fragmented memories and severe headaches whenever theyâre probed about the research lab at the border."
"Hypnosis?" Luke frowned. "The research lab at the border is more advanced than we thought."
Lydia was also shocked. Although she was a doctor, she had never dealt with hypnosis, but the army did have a psychiatrist.
"Shouldnât we find a hypnotist to reverse this? Otherwise, we wonât get anything out of them," Maximus said as he scratched his head, frustrated with the underhanded tactics.
"Letâs ask our psychiatrist if he can wake them up." Justin was slightly concerned. Hugh had escaped, and there was a chance he would return.
"Iâm here, Captain Guerrero." Morgan, the psychiatrist, rushed into the room. "I tried several times yesterday but couldnât wake them up.
Whoever did this is leagues ahead of me-I almost got caught in the hypnosis myself," he said dejectedly.
Morgan had been sure of his achievements in psychology up until this point. "Thatâs why I brought Danielle here today. Sheâs Quillon, the Hypnotist,"
Elliot said with a smile that couldnât quite conceal his pride for his sister.
Morgan was stunned, staring at Danielle. Others might have been unaware, but in the world of psychology, Quillon was a legend.
"Youâre Quillon? Youâre my idol! Youâve had such an impact on my work." Morgan rushed forward, his face lighting up with excitement.
"Oh my... I canât believe Iâm meeting you in person." Morgan grabbed Danielleâs hand as tears streamed down his face.
Danielle arched an eyebrow as Morganâs emotional outburst threatened to overwhelm him-and her clothes. "Calm down," she said.
Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)
ï¤Chapter 50 Dumbfounded, everyone else watched as Morgan, the usually stoic doctor, completely lost his composure.